BBC - Manchester - History - Peterloo Massacre You are in: Manchester > History > History features > Peterloo Massacre The Peterloo Massacre, 1819 Peterloo Massacre It was ‘Manchester’s Tian’anmen’ – a mass rally by pro-democracy campaigners crushed with brutal violence. But how much do you you know about the Peterloo Massacre? And should there be a 'more truthful' memorial in the city? Most people remember the Tian’anmen Square protests in 1989 when the Chinese military cracked down on public protests by groups of students and intellectuals demanding democratic freedoms. Proposed design for a Peterloo statue But 170 years beforehand, a similar mass demonstration here in Manchester was stamped out with similar cruelty. It’s known as the Peterloo Massacre and is described by historians as a 'world changing event.' Back in the early part of the 19th Century, just 2% of the British population had the vote. So, on 16 August 1819, 60,000 peaceful protesters gathered on St Peter's Fields in Manchester to demand the right to elect their own MPs.

The demonstration ended when local militia on horseback charged the protesters and cut them down with sabres, leaving 11 dead and many injured. Historians acknowledge that Peterloo was hugely influential in giving ordinary people the vote, led to the rise of the Chartist Movement from which grew the Trade Unions, and also resulted in the establishment of the Manchester Guardian. Yet the only memorial in Manchester is a blue plaque on the Free Trade Hall (now the Radisson Hotel) on Peter Street - the site of St Peter's Fields. It makes no reference to a 'massacre' but only to ‘the dispersal' of the crowd, omitting that 11 people were killed – including a woman and a child. The Peterloo plaque Campaign On the 188th anniversary, the Peterloo Memorial Campaign has been set up to lobby for a ‘prominent, accurate and respectful monument to this profound event.’ Campaign organisers describe the blue memorial plaque as ‘insulting’ and are demanding that a permanent statue be erected in a prominent position within St Peter's Fields such as the proposed design from 1819 of a yeoman on horseback trampling peaceful protestors. (see illustration right) "Peterloo is why the museum is in Manchester.

It’s our main exhibition and that itself is an important memorial to the event." Nick Mansfield, director of the People's History Museum Nick Mansfield, director of the People’s History Museum has no doubt about the significance of Peterloo - but insists there is no 'conspiracy of silence' in the city. “This was a world changing event that happened right here in Manchester. It was world-changing because this appalling event made those people that had power in the 19th Century realise that there had to be changes in the political system. It was a long process that lasted more than 100 years but it eventually gave people one person, one vote.” But he says that while he broadly supports efforts for a better memorial to Peterloo, he says it’s not quite as clear cut as the campaigners are claiming. “The City Council commemorates the event in its support for the People’s History Museum. Peterloo is why the museum is in Manchester. It’s our main exhibition and that itself is an important memorial to the event.” A display on the Peterloo Massacre can be seen at the People's History Museum on Bridge Street until 7 October.

last updated: 19/03/2008 at 15:34 created: 15/08/2007 Peterloo Massacre Peterloo Massacre ▼ Primary Sources ▼ Peterloo Massacre In March 1819, Joseph Johnson , John Knight and James Wroe formed the Manchester Patriotic Union Society. All the leading radicals in Manchester joined the organisation. Johnson was appointed secretary and Wroe became treasurer. The main objective of this new organisation was to obtain parliamentary reform and during the summer of 1819 it was decided to invite Major Cartwright , Henry Orator Hunt and Richard Carlile to speak at a public meeting in Manchester . The men were told that this was to be "a meeting of the county of Lancashire, than of Manchester alone. I think by good management the largest assembly may be procured that was ever seen in this country." Cartwright was unable to attend but Hunt and Carlile agreed and the meeting was arranged to take place at St. Peter's Field on 16th August. The local magistrates were concerned that such a substantial gathering of reformers might end in a riot.

The magistrates therefore decided to arrange for a large number of soldiers to be in Manchester on the day of the meeting. This included four squadrons of cavalry of the 15th Hussars (600 men), several hundred infantrymen, the Cheshire Yeomanry Cavalry (400 men), a detachment of the Royal Horse Artillery and two six-pounder guns and the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry (120 men) and all Manchester's special constables (400 men). At about 11.00 a.m. on 16th August, 1819 William Hulton , the chairman, and nine other magistrates met at Mr. Buxton's house in Mount Street that overlooked St. Peter's Field . Although there was no trouble the magistrates became concerned by the growing size of the crowd. Estimations concerning the size of the crowd vary but Hulton came to the conclusion that there were at least 50,000 people in St. Peter's Field at midday. Hulton therefore took the decision to send Edward Clayton, the Boroughreeve and the special constables to clear a path through the crowd.

The 400 special constables were therefore ordered to form two continuous lines between the hustings where the speeches were to take place, and Mr. Buxton's house where the magistrates were staying. Print of the Peterloo Massacre published by Richard Carlile The main speakers at the meeting arrived at 1.20 p.m. This included Henry 'Orator' Hunt , Richard Carlile , John Knight , Joseph Johnson and Mary Fildes . Several of the newspaper reporters, including John Tyas of The Times , Edward Baines of the Leeds Mercury , John Smith of the Liverpool Mercury and John Saxton of the Manchester Observer , joined the speakers on the hustings. At 1.30 p.m. the magistrates came to the conclusion that "the town was in great danger". William Hulton therefore decided to instruct Joseph Nadin , Deputy Constable of Manchester , to arrest Henry Hunt and the other leaders of the demonstration. Nadin replied that this could not be done without the help of the military. Hulton then wrote two letters and sent them to Lieutenant Colonel L'Estrange , the commander of the military forces in Manchester and Major Thomas Trafford, the commander of the Manchester & Salford Yeomanry .

Major Trafford, who was positioned only a few yards away at Pickford's Yard, was the first to receive the order to arrest the men. Major Trafford chose Captain Hugh Birley , his second-in-command, to carry out the order. Local eyewitnesses claimed that most of the sixty men who Birley led into St. Peter's Field were drunk. Birley later insisted that the troop's erratic behaviour was caused by the horses being afraid of the crowd. The Manchester & Salford Yeomanry entered St. Peter's Field along the path cleared by the special constables. As the yeomanry moved closer to the hustings, members of the crowd began to link arms to stop them arresting Henry Hunt and the other leaders. Others attempted to close the pathway that had been created by the special constables. Some of the yeomanry now began to use their sabres to cut their way through the crowd. Print of St. Peter's Massacre When Captain Hugh Birley and his men reached the hustings they arrested Henry Hunt , John Knight , Joseph Johnson , George Swift , John Saxton , John Tyas , John Moorhouse and Robert Wild.

As well as the speakers and the organisers of the meeting, Birley also arrested the newspaper reporters on the hustings. Lieutenant Colonel L'Estrange reported to William Hulton at 1.50 p.m. When he asked Hulton what was happening he replied: "Good God, Sir, don't you see they are attacking the Yeomanry? Disperse them." L'Estrange now ordered Lieutenant Jolliffe and the 15th Hussars to rescue the Manchester & Salford Yeomanry . By 2.00 p.m. the soldiers had cleared most of the crowd from St. Peter's Field. In the process, 18 people were killed and about 500, including 100 women, were wounded. Richard Carlile managed to avoid being arrested and after being hidden by local radicals, he took the first mail coach to London. The following day placards for Sherwin's Political Register began appearing in London with the words: 'Horrid Massacres at Manchester'. A full report of the meeting appeared in the next edition of the newspaper. The authorities responded by raiding Carlile's shop in Fleet Street and confiscating his complete stock of newspapers and pamphlets.

James Wroe was at the meeting and he described the attack on the crowd in the next edition of the Manchester Observer. Wroe is believed to be the first person to describe the incident as the Peterloo Massacre. Wroe also produced a series of pamphlets entitled The Peterloo Massacre: A Faithful Narrative of the Events. The pamphlets, which appeared for fourteen consecutive weeks from 28th August, price twopence, had a large circulation, and played an important role in the propaganda war against the authorities. Wroe, like Carlile, was later sent to prison for writing these accounts of the Peterloo Massacre. Poster entitled Manchester Heroes was published in 1819 Moderate reformers in Manchester were appalled by the decisions of the magistrates and the behaviour of the soldiers. Several of them wrote accounts of what they had witnessed. Archibald Prentice sent his report to several London newspapers. When John Edward Taylor discovered that John Tyas of The Times , had been arrested and imprisoned, he feared that this was an attempt by the government to suppress news of the event. Taylor therefore sent his report to Thomas Barnes , the editor of The Times.

The article that was highly critical of the magistrates and the yeomanry was published two days later. Tyas was released from prison. The Times mounted a campaign against the action of the magistrates at St. Peter's Field . In one editorial the newspaper told its readers "a hundred of the King's unarmed subjects have been sabred by a body of cavalry in the streets of a town of which most of them were inhabitants, and in the presence of those Magistrates whose sworn duty it is to protect and preserve the life of the meanest Englishmen." As these comments came from an establishment newspaper, the authorities found this criticism particularly damaging. Other journalists at the meeting were not treated as well as Tyas. Richard Carlile wrote an article on the Peterloo Massacre in the next edition of The Republican . Carlile not only described how the military had charged the crowd but also criticised the government for its role in the incident. Under the seditious libel laws , it was offence to publish material that might encourage people to hate the government. The authorities also disapproved of Carlile publishing books by Tom Paine , including Age of Reason , a book that was extremely critical of the Church of England .

In October 1819, Carlile was found guilty of blasphemy and seditious libel and was sentenced to three years in Dorchester Gaol. Carlile was also fined £1,500 and when he refused to pay, his Fleet Street offices were raided and his stock was confiscated. Carlile was determined not to be silenced. While he was in prison he continued to write material for The Republican , which was now being published by his wife. Due to the publicity created by Carlile's trial, the circulation of The Republican increased dramatically and was now outselling pro-government newspapers such as The Times . James Wroe was at the meeting and he described the attack on the crowd in the next edition of the Manchester Observer. Wroe is believed to be the first person to describe the incident as the Peterloo Massacre . Wroe also produced a series of pamphlets entitled The Peterloo Massacre: A Faithful Narrative of the Events. The pamphlets, which appeared for fourteen consecutive weeks from 28th August, price twopence, had a large circulation, and played an important role in the propaganda war against the authorities. The government wanted revenge and Wroe was arrested and charged with producing a seditious publication.

He was found guilty and sentenced to twelve months in prison, plus a £100 fine. After the Peterloo Massacre, Viscount Sidmouth , the Home Secretary, sent a letter of congratulations to the Manchester magistrates for the action they had taken. Lord Liverpool and his Tory government responded to the Peterloo Massace by introducing new legislation. When Parliament reassembled on 23rd November, 1819, Lord Sidmouth , the government 's Home Secretary, announced details of what later became known as the Six Acts . By the 30th December, 1819, Parliament had debated and passed six measures that it hoped would suppress the reform movement. This included the Seditious Meetings Prevention Act - a measure which prohibited the holding of public meetings of more than fifty people without the consent of a sheriff or magistrate. The trial of the organisers of the St. Peter's Field meeting took place in York between 16th and 27th March, 1820. The men were charged with "assembling with unlawful banners at an unlawful meeting for the purpose of exciting discontent". Henry Hunt was found guilty and was sent to Ilchester Gaol for two years and six months.

Joseph Johnson , Samuel Bamford and Joseph Healey were each sentenced to one year in Lincoln Prison. John Edward Taylor was a successful businessman who was radicalized by the Peterloo Massacre . Taylor felt that the newspapers did not accurately record the outrage that the people felt about what happened at St. Peter's Fields. Taylor's political friends agreed and it was decided to form their own newspaper. Eleven men, all involved in the textile industry, raised £1,050 for the venture. It was decided to call the newspaper the Manchester Guardian . A prospectus was published which explained the aims and objectives of the proposed newspaper: "It will zealously enforce the principles of civil and religious Liberty, it will warmly advocate the cause of Reform; it will endeavour to assist in the diffusion of just principles of Political Economy." The first four-page edition appeared on Saturday 5th May, 1821 and cost 7d. Of this sum, 4d was a tax imposed by the government. The Manchester Guardian , like other newspapers at the time, also had to pay a duty of 3d a lb. on paper and three shillings and sixpence on every advertisement that was included.

These taxes severely restricted the number of people who could afford to buy newspapers. Two aspects of the Six Acts was to prevent the publication of radical newspapers. The Basphemous and Seditious Libels Act was a measure which provided much stronger punishments, including banishment for publications judged to be blaspemous or sedtious. The Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act was an attempt to subjected certain radical publications which had previously avoided stamp duty by publishing opinion and not news, to such duty. A Stamp Tax was first imposed on British newspapers in 1712. The tax was gradually increased until in 1815 it had reached 4d. a copy. As few people could afford to pay 6d. or 7d. for a newspaper, the tax restricted the circulation of most of these journals to people with fairly high incomes. During this period most working people were earning less than 10 shillings a week and this therefore severely reduced the number of people who could afford to buy radical newspapers. Campaigners against the stamp tax such as William Cobbett and Leigh Hunt described it as a "tax on knowledge".

Chartists such as Henry Hetherington , James Watson , John Cleave , George Julian Harney and James O'Brien joined Richard Carlile in the fight against stamp duty . As these radical publishers refused to pay stamp-duty on their newspapers, this resulted in fines and periods of imprisonment. In 1835 the two leading unstamped radical newspapers, the Poor Man's Guardian , and The Cleave's Police Gazette , were selling more copies in a day than The Times sold all week. It was estimated at the time that the circulation of leading six unstamped newspapers had now reached 200,000. In the House of Commons , John Roebuck led the campaign against taxes on newspapers. In 1836 the campaigners had their first success when the 4d. tax on newspapers was reduced to 1d. The same year Parliament agreed to remove the tax on pamphlets. The campaigned continued and in 1849 a group of publishers led by Henry Hetherington formed the Newspaper Stamp Abolition Committee. However, it was not until 1855 that the newspaper stamp duty was finally abolished.

▲ Main Article ▲ Primary Sources (1) In his book Passage in the Life of a Radical , the political activist, Samuel Bamford described the procession from Middleton to Manchester on the 16th August, 1819. First were selected twelve of the most decent-looking youths, who were placed at the front, each with a branch of laurel held in his hand, as a token of peace; then the colours: a blue one of silk, with inscriptions in golden letters, 'Unity and Strength', 'Liberty and Fraternity'; a green one of silk, with golden letters, 'Parliaments Annual', 'Suffrage Universal'. Every hundred men had a leader, who was distinguished by a spring of laurel in his hat, and the whole were to obey the directions of the principal conductor, who took his place at the head of the column, with a bugleman to sound his orders. At the sound of the bugle not less than three thousand men formed a hollow square, with probably as many people around them, and I reminded them that they were going to attend the most important meeting that had ever been held for Parliamentary Reform.

I also said that, in conformity with a rule of the committee, no sticks, nor weapons of any description, would be allowed to be carried. Only the oldest and most infirm amongst us were allowed to carry their walking staves. Our whole column, with the Rochdale people, would probably consist of six thousand men. At our head were a hundred or two of women, mostly young wives, and mine own was amongst them. A hundred of our handsomest girls, sweethearts to the lads who were with us, danced to the music. Thus accompanied by our friends and our dearest we went slowly towards Manchester. (2) Archibald Prentice , Historical Sketches and Personal Recollections of Manchester (1851) The morning of the 16th of August came, and soon after nine o'clock the people began to assemble. From the windows of Mr. Baxter's house in Mosley-street, I saw the main body proceeding towards St. Peter's Field, and never saw a gayer spectacle.

There were haggard-looking men certainly, but the majority were young persons, in their best Sunday's suits, and the light coloured dresses of the cheerful tidy-looking women relieved the effect of the dark fustians worn by the men. The " marching order," of which so much was said afterwards, was what we often see now in the processions of Sunday-school children and temperance societies. To our eyes the numerous flags seemed to have been brought to add to the picturesque effect of the pageant. Slowly and orderly the multitudes took their places round the hustings, which stood on a spot now included under the roof of the Free Trade Hall, near its south-east corner. Our company laughed at the fears of the magistrates, and the remark was, that if the men intended mischief they would not have brought their wives, their sisters, or their children with them. I passed round the outskirts of the meeting, and mingled with the groups that stood chatting there.

I occasionally asked the women if they were not afraid to be there, and the usual laughing reply was - " What have we to be afraid of?" I saw Hunt arrive, and heard the shouts of the sixty thousand persons by whom he was enthusiastically welcomed, as the carriage in which he stood made its way through the dense crowd to the hustings. I proceeded to my dwelling-house in Salford, intending to return in about an hour or so to witness in what manner so large a meeting would separate. I had not been at home more than a quarter of an hour when a wailing sound was heard from the main street, and, rushing out, I saw people running in the direction of Pendleton, their faces pale as death, and some with blood trickling down their cheeks. It was with difficulty I could get any one to stop and tell me what had happened. The unarmed multitude, men, women, and children, had been attacked with murderous results by the military. The magistrates had resolved, at the last moment, that Hunt, and the friends who accompanied him to the hustings, should be apprehended in the face of the meeting.

It was a great assemblage, and, no doubt, they thought the capture of the ringleaders in the presence of sixty thousand persons would produce a salutary effect. There was abundance of force at hand to render resistance hopeless. The number of special constables had been greatly increased, two hundred additional having been sworn in for the occasion; a portion were stationed round the hustings, and another formed a line of communication thence to the house in which the magistrates were assembled, a distance of about a hundred yards. Near to the field, ready the moment their services were required, were six troops of the 15th Hussars, a troop of horse artillery, with two guns, the greater part of the 31st regiment of infantry, some companies of the 88th regiment, the Cheshire yeomanry; of between three and four hundred men, and the Manchester yeomanry, of about forty, the latter hot-headed young men, who had volunteered into that service from their intense hatred of radicalism. (3) With John Tyas in prison it is believed that John Edward Taylor provided the report that appeared in The Times on 18th August, 1819.

When the Yeomanry arrived the greater part of the persons who were at the outskirts of the assembly on that side instantly ran away; but the main body remained compact and firm, and finding the soldiers halt under the houses, faced round and cheered them. But a few moments had elapsed, when some orders were given to the troops, and they instantly dashed at full gallop amongst the people, actually hacking their way up to the hustings. A cordon of special constables was drawn from the house occupied by the Magistrates towards the stage, and these fared as ill from the attacks of the soldiers as the people at large. A comparatively undisciplined body, led on by officers who had never had any experience in military affairs, and probably all under the influence both of personal fear and considerable political feeling of hostility, could not be expected to act either with coolness or discrimination; and accordingly, men, women, and children, constables, and Reformers, were equally exposed to their attacks. Numbers were trampled down, and numbers were cut down. When they arrived at the hustings, the standards were torn, or cut from the hands of those who held them.

Hunt was taken along by the constables to the house where the Magistrates were sitting, crying out 'Murder' as he was every instant struck by the bludgeons of numbers of constables who surrounded him. An attempt was made to knock his hat off, but unsuccessfully; and just as he was going up the steps, a person, who shall be for the present, nameless, with a club of large size, struck him with the force of both hands a blow on the head, which completely indented his hat, and almost levelled him with the ground: of this I can produce evidence on oath. Whether the Riot Act had been read, I am not enabled positively to say; but I affirm, from actual observation, that not the slightest breach of the peace had been committed, or appeared, as far as I can judge, likely to take place; and, most certainly, instead of an hour being allowed after proclamation, for the people to disperse, not twenty minutes had elapsed, after. Hunt came upon the ground, before the carnage began. What are the charges on which Hunt and the rest are arrested, I know not.

Rumour says High Treason, of which carrying the cap of liberty is stated as an overt act. (4) In his book Passage in the Life of a Radical , the political activist, Samuel Bamford described the attack on the crowd at St. Peter's Fields on the 16th August, 1819. Mr. Hunt, stepping towards the front of the stage, took off his white hat, and addressed the people. Whilst he was doing so I heard a noise outside the crowd. Some persons said it was the Blackburn people coming, and I stood on tip-toe and looked in the direction whence the noise was coming from, I saw a party of cavalry in blue and white uniform come trotting, sword in hand. The cavalry received a shout of good-will. The cavalry, waving their sabres over their heads; and then, slackening rein, and striking spur into their seeds, they dashed forward and began cutting the people.

"Stand fast," I said, "they are riding upon us;" The cavalry were in confusion; they evidently could not, with the weight of man and horse, penetrate that compact mass of human beings; and their sabres were plied to cut a way through naked held-up hands and defenceless heads. "Shame!" was shouted then "break! break!" they are killing them in front, and they cannot get away." On the breaking of the crowd the yeomanry wheeled, and, dashing whenever there was an opening, they followed, pressing and wounding. Women and tender youths were indiscriminately sabred or trampled. A number of our people were driven to some timber which lay at the foot of the wall of the Quakers' meeting house. Being pressed by the yeomanry, a number sprung over the balks and defended themselves with stones which they found there. It was not without difficulty, and after several were wounded, they were driven out.

A young married woman of our party, with her face all bloody, her hair streaming about her, her bonnet hanging by the string, and her apron weighed with stones, kept her assailant at bay until she fell backwards and was near being taken; but she got away covered with severe bruises. In ten minutes from the commencement of the havoc the field was an open and almost deserted space. The hustings remained, with a few broken and hewed flag-staves erect, and a torn and gashed banner or two dropping; whilst over the whole field were strewed caps, bonnets, hats, shawls, and shoes, and other parts of male and female dress, trampled, torn, and bloody. Several mounds of human flesh still remained where they had fallen, crushed down and smothered. Some of these still groaning, others with staring eyes, were gasping for breath, and others would never breathe again.

(5) Martin Wainwright , The Guardian (13th August, 2007) There are mugs and candlesnuffers in museums saying "Do not forget 1819" and school essay questions going back to the earliest days of exams, but the site of one of Britain's greatest social upheavals is still marked only by a modest - and only partially true - blue plaque. This week, the city whose conscience was seared by the death of nine men, a woman and a child at a mass demonstration demanding the vote, will see the launch of a campaign for a "prominent, accurate and respectful" memorial to the brief mayhem known to history as the Peterloo massacre. People and institutions in Manchester and Salford are banding together to press the city council for a "worthier monument" than 32 words on the plaque which fail even to say that anyone was killed, alluding instead to the crowd's "dispersal by the military". Events this Thursday - the massacre's 188th anniversary - will highlight concern that Peterloo is in danger of being forgotten.

"We're talking about something here on the scale of Tiananmen Square in terms of democratic history," said Paul Fitzgerald, who draws radical cartoons under the name Polyp and is one of the organisers of the Peterloo Memorial Campaign. "It's ridiculous that all we have is this euphemistic plaque. We intend to commission a sculpture in the end, but in the meanwhile, let's get people talking." The project is backed by local trade unions, and Labour and Liberal Democrat politicians who say the occasion has for too long been treated "as a secret". "Even people who know the history come to Manchester and fail to find out where Peterloo happened," said Derek Clarke, secretary of Greater Manchester Trade Union Councils. "I arrived from north Wales to work here, and it took me ages to pin down the actual site. "We don't want to fall behind our neighbours, such as Hyde which has just unveiled a statue outside its town hall of the Chartists, who drew much of their inspiration from Peterloo. The massacre was one of the most influential events to happen in Manchester's history." Peterloo saw an estimated 60,000 people gather peaceably to back demands that the growing industrial towns of Britain should have the right to elect MPs.

Less than 2% of the population had the vote at the time, and resentment was sharpened by "rotten boroughs" such as the moribund Wiltshire village Old Sarum which had 11 voters and two MPs. Manchester and Leeds had none. Plans to elect a "shadow parliament" put the wind up the Tory government which was also frightened that the power of Henry "Orator" Hunt, the main speaker at Peterloo, might turn the Manchester crowd into a mob. The local volunteer yeomanry, described as "younger members of the Tory party in arms", was ordered to disperse the meeting, with fatal results. "The magistrates effectively let local shopkeepers and businessmen, people with a stake in the status quo, loose on the crowd," said Mr Clarke. More than 1,000 disciplined regular troops, including an artillery unit, stayed in the background but added to the air of crisis. As well as the 11 deaths, and possibly a 12th which historians are still researching, hundreds of people were wounded by sabre slashes and crushed in the panic.

The name Peterloo, combining Manchester's traditional meeting place St Peter's Fields with the battle of Waterloo fought four years earlier, was coined immediately by the radical Manchester Observer. The immediate result of the tragedy was a complete crackdown on reform, but it proved hugely influential in the longer run. "It is fundamental to the history of our democracy," said Tristram Hunt of Queen Mary College, London University, who last year organised a national competition in the Guardian for radical landmarks in need of better commemoration which saw Peterloo come second only to Putney parish church, site of the 1647 Putney debates where rank and file members of the Roundhead army argued the case for a transparent democratic state. "It is really great news that Manchester is on the march about this. Peterloo has a direct and powerful lineage to the Chartists." Manchester has seen previous, short-lived attempts to highlight the massacre before, but the reaction in the immediate aftermath - that the violence was a stain on the city's reputation - has regularly resurfaced and sapped enthusiasm. The Labour-led city council has prevaricated about anything grander than the plaque on the Radisson Hotel. Last year's Labour conference in Manchester saw delegates surprised at what some called a virtual conspiracy of silence.

Former Labour city councillor Geoff Bridson said: "It is like a secret episode from the past." Renewed civic pride offers a real chance to change all that, said Dr Hunt. "The old, rather uncertain Manchester was scared of its history. Now it is confident enough to look back with pride." The campaign is backed by the three museums of working class and "people's" history in Manchester and Salford. The director of the national People's History Museum, Nick Mansfield said: "Peterloo is a critical event not only because of the number of people killed and injured, but because ultimately it changed public opinion to influence the extension of the right to vote and give us the democracy we enjoy today. It was critical to our freedoms." (6) Michael Bush, letter to The Guardian (15th August, 2007) It is great news to hear (History, August 13) that a Peterloo memorial campaign has been organised. But hopefully the organisers and journalists will get abreast of recent research.

It is now known there were as many as 18 deaths, not 11-12, with total casualties revised upwards from around 500 to 700, with the majority of injuries inflicted by the military rather than by the crush of the crowd. All this is examined in my recent book, "The Casualties of Peterloo". In addition, the massacre was the work not only of Mancunians serving as volunteer cavalrymen but of regular troops, since 340 Hussars also charged the crowd. For Mancunians and even for the development of democracy, the event is not so easy to appreciate as you suggest. After all, the massacre was carried out by respectable Mancunians on the authority of the town council. And it is arguable that the event - in showing how crowds could be effectively controlled by small numbers of troops - delayed the establishment of democracy by over 50 years. Peterloo represented a humiliating defeat for the power of the people and one from which it had great difficulty in making a recovery. Geoff Bridson says Peterloo "is like a secret episode from the past", but many books have been written about it over the last half century.

Lecturing in Saddleworth on a cold February night last year, I found myself talking to a full house. As for Derek Clarke's difficulties in identifying the actual site, all he needed to do was to visit the magnificent Manchester library, a stone's throw from the site, and the staff in the local studies unit would have gladly directed him to it. The Battle of Peterloo, Manchester, 1819 By Ellen Castelow , Contributing Writer | Comments Not Waterloo but Peterloo! England is not a country of frequent revolutions; some say it is because our weather is not conducive to outdoor marches and riots. However, weather or no weather, in the early 1800's, working men began to demonstrate on the streets and demand changes in their working lives. In March 1817, six hundred workers set off from the northern city of Manchester to march to London. These demonstrators became known the 'Blanketeers' as each carried a blanket. The blanket was carried for warmth during the long nights on the road. Only one 'Blanketeer' managed to reach London, as the leaders were imprisoned and the 'rank and file' quickly dispersed.

In the same year, Jeremiah Brandreth led two hundred Derbyshire labourers to Nottingham in order, he said, to take part in a general insurrection. This was not a success and three of the leaders were executed for treason. But in 1819 a more serious demonstration took place in Manchester at St. Peter's Fields. On that August day, the 16th, a large body of people carrying banners bearing slogans against the Corn Laws and in favour of universal suffrage, held a meeting at St. Peter's Fields. The magistrates of the day became alarmed and ordered the arrest of the principal speakers. As the Yeomanry attempted to obey the order, they were surrounded by the horde of people and the Hussars were sent in to help them. In the general panic which followed, fifteen people were killed and about five hundred injured. Manchester Yeomanry charge at Peterloo This became known as the 'Peterloo Massacre' The 'massacre' aroused great public indignation, but the government of the day stood by the magistrates and in 1819 passed a new law, called the Six Acts, to control future agitation.

The Six Acts were not popular; they consolidated the laws against further disturbances, which the magistrates at the time considered presaged revolution! The people viewed these Six Acts with alarm as they allowed that any house could be searched, without a warrant, on suspicion of containing firearms and public meetings were virtually forbidden. Periodicals were taxed so severely that they were priced beyond the reach of the poorer classes and the magistrates were given the power to seize any literature that was deemed seditious or blasphemous and any meeting in a parish that contained more than fifty people was deemed illegal. The Six Acts gave rise to a desperate response and a man called Arthur Thistlewood planned what was to become known as the Cato Street conspiracy….the murder of several cabinet ministers at dinner. The conspiracy failed as one of the conspirators was a spy and informed his masters, the ministers, of the plot. Thislewood was caught, found guilty of high treason and hanged in 1820. The trial and execution of Thistlewood constituted the final act of a long succession of confrontation between government and desperate protestors, but the general opinion was that the government had gone too far in applauding 'Peterloo' and passing the Six Acts.

Eventually a more sober mood descended on the country and the revolutionary fever finally died out. So while the Battle of Waterloo is remembered as a turning point in English history, 'Peterloo' is also remembered as a sign that the people of England have the ability to right 'wrongs' should the occasion warrant it! Tweet If you enjoyed this article, you might also like... The Rebecca Riots - The Rebecca Riots were in fact a series of protests that took place between 1839 and 1843, throughout the rural areas of west Wales ...The protesters were mainly simple farming folk who had been angered ... Tolpuddle Martyrs - Sentenced to 7 years in a penal colony ...for being in a trade union ... Ascott Martyrs - A true story of 16 indomitable women and their struggle for justice ... Lancashire Cotton Famine - By 1825, cotton was Britain’s biggest import and the dominant force of the economy was the Lancashire cotton industry. However the American Civil War brought the industry to its knees ...

Advertising Peterloo Massacre Memorial Campaign For more details and latest updates see our Facebook page 2016 Anniversary Event - THE PETERLOO TAPESTRY 1pm - 5:30pm Sunday 14th August 2015 We will meet outside Manchester Central Conference Centre (Windmill Street side) at 1pm, then proceed to the Friends Meeting House (6 Mount Street) where creation of Tapestry will begin at 1:30pm. This year the Peterloo Memorial Campaign Group's commemorative event will be the creation of a public participative artwork in the form of an evocative tapestry. As well as being a powerful, expressive, absorbing and intriguing object in its own right, the Tapestry will also serve as a formal record of Manchester's aspirations for what the forthcoming Peterloo Memorial should express. We have a 4ft x 30ft canvas which was spun and woven on vintage machines at Quarry Bank Mill , onto which we will invite members of the public to attach their pre-prepared pieces.

The finished artwork will be a collage of ideas, inspiration, memories and poignant objects which we hope will reflect what the Peterloo Massacre, and other struggles for democracy both past and present, mean to the people of Greater Manchester. Drop in to the Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS, any time from 1:30pm to 5:15pm to add, view, or create your piece in the designated workroom. There will be a final photo call of the finished artwork at 5:30pm, against the period wall of the Meeting House. YOUR PIECE Your contribution to the Tapestry could be a simple written statement, a photograph, a piece of modern or historical political memorabilia, a drawing, an item or fragment of an item from the period, a print of an image from the time, a badge, a suffragette ribbon... The only limitations are that each object needs to be as flat, flexible and lightweight as possible, and of a modest size. There's no minimum size restriction, but maximum size must be no larger than 1ft x 1ft.

This gives as many people as possible the chance to participate, and means the objects won't be damaged when the tapestry is rolled on to its drum. We hope the majority of the objects to be added to the tapestry will be prepared beforehand, and represent a huge range of ideas and styles, such as elegant calligraphy, woven text, spray-painted stencils, sculpted pieces etc. There will be a preparation room available onsite for adding finishing touches or attachment points to your piece, but for the sake of avoiding congestion and time delays on the day, we strongly recommend that objects arrive prepared and as ready to attach as possible. The finished tapestry will be revealed to the press during the Reading of the Names Ceremony at 1pm on Tuesday 16th August 2016, on the Windmill Street side of the Manchester Central forecourt. Please email us if you have any questions about how to prepare your object for display. We'll also be holding a preparation workshop at The People's History Museum on Thursday 11th August, 4pm - 7:30 pm where you may bring your objects to be prepared or receive guidance on how to prepare your object for the 14th August event.

Campaign Updates Council Leader Richard Leese has announced that they're inviting Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller to work with them on the Peterloo Memorial. View his work to date . Jeremy was very supportive of the Campaign with this 'Procession' piece . There'll be updates about this on our Facebook page , and our Twitter account , so feel free to join us there, and let us know your reaction... Manchester City Council have committed to a new memorial to Peterloo, which will be part of the redevelopment of the St Peter's Square area. We have been lobbying the Council to ensure there is some democratic input to the design of the memorial. We will work with them and anyone else in the city who shares our interest in creating a fitting and high quality memorial to the Peterloo Massacre. Are you related to a Peterloo protestor? Carnegie Publishing Ltd have released a sample cross section of names from the full list of over 650 included in Professor Michael Bush's 2005 book 'The Casualties of Peterloo'. History of The Peterloo Massacre You can see where all this took place on these two maps of Manchester .

Local magistrates watching from a window near the field panicked at the sight of the crowd, and read the riot act, effectively ordering what little of the crowd could hear them to disperse. MASSACRE As 600 Hussars, several hundred infantrymen; an artillery unit with two six-pounder guns, 400 men of the Cheshire cavalry and 400 special constables waited in reserve, the local Yeomanry were given the task of arresting the speakers. The Yeomanry, led by Captain Hugh Birley and Major Thomas Trafford, were essentially a paramilitary force drawn from the ranks of the local mill and shop owners. On horseback, armed with cutlasses and clubs, many were familiar with, and had old scores to settle with, the leading protesters. (In one instance, spotting a reporter from the radical Manchester Observer, a Yeomanry officer called out "There's Saxton, damn him, run him through.") Heading for the hustings, they charged when the crowd linked arms to try and stop the arrests, and proceeded to strike down banners and people with their swords. Rumours from the period have persistently stated the Yeomanry were drunk.

The panic was interpreted as the crowd attacking the yeomanry, and the Hussars (Led by Lieutenant Colonel Guy L'Estrange) were ordered in. As with the Tiananmen Square Massacre, there were unlikely heroes amoung the military. An unnamed cavalry officer attempted to strike up the swords of the Yeomanry, crying - "For shame, gentlemen: what are you about? The people cannot get away!" But the majority joined in with the attack. The term 'Peterloo', was intended to mock the soldiers who attacked unarmed civilians by echoing the term 'Waterloo' - the soldiers from that battle being seen by many as genuine heroes. AFTERMATH By 2pm the carnage was over, and the field left full of abandoned banners and dead bodies. Journalists present at the event were arrested, others who went on to report the event were subsequently jailed. The businessman John Edwards Taylor went on to help set up the Guardian newspaper as a reaction to what he'd seen. The speakers and organizers were put on trial, at first under the charge of High treason - a charge that was reluctantly dropped by the presecution.

The Hussars and Magistrates received a message of congratulations from the Prince Regent, and were cleared of any wrong-doing by the official inquiry. LEGACY Historians acknowledge that Peterloo was hugely influential in ordinary people winning the right the vote, led to the rise of the Chartist Movement from which grew the Trade Unions, and also resulted in the establishment of the Manchester Guardian newspaper. According to Nick Mansfield, director of the People�s History Museum in Salford, "Peterloo is a critical event not only because of the number of people killed and injured, but because ultimately it changed public opinion to influence the extension of the right to vote and give us the democracy we enjoy today. It was critical to our freedoms." BBC - Manchester - Peterloo: a massacre remembered Printable version Peterloo: a massacre remembered 'Let the horsemen's scimitars, Wheel and flash like sphereless stars, Thirsting to eclipse their burning, In a sea of death and mourning.' from 'The Masque of Anarchy' by Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1819 The poem in full The Peterloo Massacre remains the most infamous chapter in Manchester's history. But did it, as many believe, change the country forever?

At least 15 people were hacked or trampled to death, and up to 700 injured, when sword-wielding cavalry charged a peaceful rally calling for the vote in Manchester on 16 August 1819. Such was the public outrage at the time that the poet Shelley was moved to write his epic poemThe Masque of Anarchy in condemnation of what was seen as a government-led attack on democracy. But this brutal attack 190 years ago is now widely regarded as having played a key role in helping to change public opinion in the extension of the right to vote and universal suffrage. So how did an orderly meeting of men, women and children in Manchester turn into a bloodbath and why is it seen as so important? Bloodshed Back in the early 1800s, just two percent of the British population had the vote. This was a time of immense political tension and mass protests: hunger was rife with the corn laws making bread unaffordable. PETERLOO EXHIBITION An exhibition commemorating the 190th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre is at Central Library, St Peter's Square until 26 September 2009.

Mon - Thurs 9am to 8pm, Fri and Sat 9am - 5pm. Free to enter. Yet Peterloo began, by all accounts, as a wholly peaceful demonstration. So, when 60,000 protesters gathered on St Peter's Fields in Manchester on the morning of 16 August 1819, few expected it to end in bloodshed. Trouble, however, flared when the yeomanry, a paramilitary force drawn from the ranks of the local mill and shop owners, were ordered to arrest the speakers at the rally. Heading for the hustings, they charged when the crowd linked arms to try and stop the arrests. The panic was interpreted as the crowd attacking the yeomanry, and the Hussars, a mounted brigade of soldiers, were ordered in, slashing the protesters with their cutlasses. By 2pm, the carnage was over and the field lay scattered with bodies amongst the torn and bloody banners. The massacre was dubbed 'Peterloo' to mock the soldiers who attacked unarmed civilians by echoing the term 'Waterloo' - the soldiers from that battle being seen by many as genuine heroes.

Significance The historical importance of the Peterloo Massacre in the battle for political freedom cannot be underestimated. A proposed design made at the time by the artist George Cruickshank Most historians believe it led to the rise of the Chartist Movement from which grew the Trade Unions, resulted in the establishment of the Manchester Guardian and, most significantly of all, paved the way toward ordinary people being given the vote. The outrage felt across the country led to The Representation of the People Act in 1832, commonly known as the Great Reform Act, that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of the United Kingdom. Jonathan Schofield, Blue Badge guide and editor of Manchester Confidential said Peterloo was an event that changed the country. "The idea of Englishmen killing Englishmen over representation in government was repellent to the new middle-classes especially in the areas affected by the Industrial Revolution," he said.

"As the middle-class and the working class voice grew louder and Britain moved from a rural economy to a manufacturing one, Peterloo became a symbol, and helped pave the way for the Great Reform Act of 1832 when Manchester gained two MPs and Salford one." Memorial Such is the local significance of Peterloo that it was main reason for locating the People's History Museum in the city. The idea of Englishmen killing Englishmen over representation in government was repellent to the new middle-classes... Jonathan Schofield, Blue Badge guide However, until recently, the only memorial to the massacre was a blue plaque on the side of the Free Trade Hall (now the Radisson Hotel) on Peter Street - the site of St Peter's Fields. It made no reference to a massacre but only to 'the dispersal' of the crowd, omitting that 15 people were killed - including a woman and a child. In 2007, the Peterloo Memorial Campaign was set up to lobby for a 'prominent, accurate and respectful monument to this profound event,' describing the original plaque as 'insulting'.

Spokesman Paul Fitzgerald said: "As we near the 200th anniversary, it's vital we put an end to the long and shameful tradition of neglecting or whitewashing the memory of this turning point in the history of democracy." Manchester City Council replaced the plaque two years ago and plans are currently underway for a more fitting and permanent memorial. The 190th anniversary of the massacre is being commemorated with a new exhibition at Central Library until 26 September. 'Peterloo Remembered' is free to view. See above for details. Bookmark with: Official report into the Peterloo Massacre Official report into the Peterloo Massacre Show transcript This is the official report into a meeting held at St Peter’s Fields, Manchester in August 1819, during which 11 people were killed and 400 wounded. The assembled crowd, which was estimated to be upwards of 60,000 people, had gathered to hear famous orators of the day such as Henry Hunt talk about parliamentary reform. Fearing a riot due to the presence of so many reformers in a single location, the magistrate ordered the local yeomen to arrest Hunt.

The crowd resisted and the yeomen charged, killing and wounding members of the crowd as they went. The event was soon known as the Peterloo Massacre in reference to the Battle of Waterloo, which had occurred four years before. The meeting at St Peter’s Fields did not directly achieve any parliamentary reform and actually led to a suppression of civil liberties. Following the massacre, the Tory government introduced 'Six Acts' to suppress radical newspapers and seditious meetings, with the aim of reducing the chance of an armed uprising. However, the Peterloo Massacre did create martyrs for the cause of reform and the anger of the masses only served to strengthen support for change. Although some reform was achieved in 1832, public discontent persisted and began to lay the foundations of Chartism. The report into the Peterloo Massacre provides context for the environment in which the Chartists would later run their campaign. The list of the dead and injured demonstrates that there were serious dangers involved for those who advocated reform of the political system. Taken from: Peterloo Report BBC NEWS | UK | Remember the Peterloo Massacre? Remember the Peterloo Massacre?

Judy Hobson North of England Reporter, BBC News Amid the lunchtime buzz of Manchester's busy shopping district, a dozen people, dressed mainly in black, made a solemn walk from the city's central library to a building called The Free Trade Hall. Painting by George Cruikshank depicting the Peterloo Massacre There they covered a blue plaque with one they had made themselves, out of paper. They then lay flowers on the ground beneath it. To passing shoppers the ceremony must have looked a little odd. But to these mock mourners it was a vital part of their campaign to highlight the significance of the Peterloo Massacre. They say the small blue plaque, which is the city's only memorial to the 1819 event, is insulting and doesn't even tell the whole story. 'Insulting monument' Charlie Baker was among the protesters: "This plaque mentions a 'subsequent dispersal of the local militia'. "I think having your arms cut off and 11 people dying is little bit more substantial than a dispersal really. We want something put up which tells the story of what happened." The Peterloo massacre, which took place 188 years ago, was a significant event in the history of British democracy.

It was an extraordinary event...it was Manchester's equivalent to Tiananmen Square Paul Fitzgerald The Peterloo Massacre campaign The current blue plaque does not mention the fact that 11 people died or that hundreds were injured. The makeshift paper plaque which temporarily replaced it corrected this. But after two minutes it fell off the wall. The protesters didn't care, as this is just one of the ways they are trying to highlight their campaign to have a bigger more substantial memorial. Paul Fitzgerald, who organised the event, said: "The Peterloo massacre was the turning point in the story of democracy for Manchester, the UK, and also the rest of the world. "It was an extraordinary event. If you like, it was Manchester's equivalent to Tiananmen Square. As a first step we'd like to see the council get rid of this insulting monument to the people who died. "And we'd like something much bigger, like a statue, something which is easily understood by people so they can immediately grasp the significance of what happened. They can look at it and say 'wow, something extraordinary happened here'." And what did happen here was extraordinary. Sixty thousand people gathered in Manchester city centre to demand the right to vote.

At the time less than 2% of the population held that right. But magistrates feared there was going to be a riot. The local volunteer yeomanry, described as the "younger members of the Tory party in arms", were ordered to disperse the meeting which resulted in the deaths of 11 people and hundreds were injured. On Thursday, Paul Fitzgerald showed the paper plaque to Jim Battle, the deputy leader of Manchester City Council. Mr Battle agreed that there should be a lasting and significant memorial to the Peterloo Massacre. He said: "My own view is that something should have happened much quicker, but I think there is a will and a motivation and I am glad that people like Paul are coming forward with suggestions. "I'm pretty sure Manchester is a place people will come to remember this important occasion on this site because we will have a tremendous monument here. I think Paul can rest assured that is going to happen." The council announced it would be changing the blue plaque to include wording that would mention the deaths and injuries that occurred on 16 August 1819. The campaigners welcome the news but stress that it is only a first step.

They would like a bigger and more significant memorial to an event which changed the course of British democracy.

Question: In which city did the Peterloo Massacre occur?
Answer: Manchester